1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for hydrating a nitrile to the corresponding amide. More particularly, the present invention relates to a process for catalytically hydrating a nitrile to the corresponding amide in the presence of an improved copper catalyst.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The hydration of a nitrile to the corresponding amide is well known. For example, acrylamide has been prepared by reacting acrylonitrile with water and sulfuric acid to obtain acrylamide sulfate which is neutralized with an alkali to obtain acrylamide.
This process, however, requires large quantities of acid or alkali which renders the process industrially uneconomical.
Various copper catalyst systems are known. Inoue discloses in Japanese patent specification Pub. No. 21295/1970 the use of cuprous oxide as a catalyst. U.S. Pat. No. 3,631,104 discloses a copper catalyst prepared by reducing copper oxide, copper-chromium oxide or copper-molybdenum oxide with hydrogen. Further, OLS 2036126, describes the use of Raney-copper and Ullmann-copper for the hydration reaction. However, these catalysts are difficult to prepare and the activity of the catalysts is low.